Today, complex, media rich environments such as visualization centers, command and control facilities, emergency response centers, media auditoriums, planning centers and even media based conference rooms are becoming more and more commonplace and complex.
It is typical in these media environments that many media sources, including complex multi-channel media sources and output devices become part of the user's information mix and thus a new type of media control system is required to route and configure the complex media components.
Sources may include one or more of various computers, VCRs, cable and satellite feeds, audio sources, DVD players, video servers, cameras, sensors, MP3 players, microphones, and more, many of which could be multi-channel sources.
The outputs devices may include one or an array of video projectors, monitors, flat panels, control monitors, audio systems, televisions, LCDs (liquid crystal displays), PDPs (plasma display panels), and more. This becomes a very complex management matrix quickly as users require the ability to send each media source component to any output device or array with impunity.
Each media source typically has particular characteristics including the number of horizontal and vertical pixels, the image frame rate, the analog or digital nature of the signal, image processing device settings, associated audio source, and with multi-channel computer, video or audio sources, how many channels the source is comprised of.
Each output device in the signal chain typically also has particular characteristics which can include multiple inputs as well as adjustments to the type of signal that is sent to it. Often the output device has to have multiple recall memories for multiple signal types.
Any media source should be compatible with the display characteristics or audio characteristics of the output device and all devices in the signal chain should be adjusted.
A single command center could have dozens of display and audio playback systems being fed by dozens of sources.
It is common to use a device called a matrix switcher which allows any input to be routed to any output electronically. These matrix switchers can be very large with an array of combination possible. A 16 input by 16 output matrix switcher for video and audio offers over 65,000 combinations. As stated above, if some sources and some displays are multi-channel systems with additional component(s) in the signal chain, the selection of proper combinations becomes very confusing and complex.
The problem becomes exacerbated when the users of these systems are not media experts, but simply users who wish to get a result. Bringing a multi-channel computer onto a multi-channel display may comprise a sequence such as:
1. Route output 1 from the computer to the left screen;
2. Route output 2 from the computer to the center screen;
3. Route output 3 from the computer to the right screen;
4. Route output 2 from the computer to the control monitor;
5. Switch the left screen projector to the correct signal preset;
6. Switch the center screen projector to the correct signal preset;
7. Switch the right screen projector to the correct signal preset;
8. Route the audio from the computer to the main sound system;
9. Set the volume control of the audio to the proper level;
10. Modify the signal processing recall of output 1 (for systems such as edge blending);
11. Modify the signal processing recall of output 2 (for systems such as edge blending); and
12. Modify the signal processing recall of output 3 (for systems such as edge blending).
Exemplary edge blending systems are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,073 entitled “Seamless Video Display,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,390 entitled “Adjustable Multiple Image Display Smoothing Method and Apparatus” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,022 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Adjusting Multiple Projected Raster Images,” the contents of each of which are incorporated by reference herein.
And it could go on to more complexity if at the same time other systems needed to be turned off or if the computer needs to be reset into a special mode.
In the past, one would assist the user in achieving results more simply by providing a computer control for the various components and then scripting complex sequences into presets. This scripting limits the user to ideas that have been pre-agreed on and thus programmed. Such conventional control systems with pre-configured scripting are available, for example, from AMX Corporation, Richardson, Tex.